Exalt the Lord Hosea 11:7

7 My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt Him.



God reminds the nation of Israel that He is the One who brought them up out of the land of Egypt. He is the One who established them as a people. 78 people went to Egypt and 400 years later over 1 million people came out! God reminds the people that they refused to acknowledge Him and went out to serve other gods.

He reminded them that He is the One who healed them; He is the One who fed them and provided for them. He says, "My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Me."

Isn't it amazing how contemporary the Bible is! This was written some 2500 years ago and it is as contemporary as the morning newspaper. It seems as if we are indeed "bent on backsliding from the Lord." We acknowledge the Lord but we fail to obey His Word. We include the Lord in our routines but we refuse to let Him be Lord and Master of our lives. We know what we ought to do and we know what we have no business doing but the truth is, we are set on doing what we want to do the way that we want to do it and God's Word is just not much of a consideration most of the time.

It is as if we have forgotten all the things that God has done for us and all the things He has promised to do for us. We want God's goodness and His provisions in our lives but we want them on our terms. We want to go our own way and expect God to bless us anyway!

The Israelites refused to "exalt" God. God wanted them to look to Him and allow Him to be God in their lives. Sometimes we want to read this passage and think, they didn't "worship" God. We tend to think sometime, I go to church; I tithe most of the time; I teach Sunday School and sing in the choir. I love God.

The real question is do you obey His Word? Do you live for Him every moment of every day? Do you exalt Him by walking in the footsteps that He wants you to walk? Do you allow Him to have His way in your life by the decisions that you make? This is the desire of God's heart; this is what He is looking for in you and in me. God wants our obedience because of our faith and our trust in Him. He wants to continue to bless us and provide for us and He wants to meet our needs and He wants to give us the desires of His heart!

Exalt the Lord today in each and every decision that you make and see the difference that the Lord can and will make in your life!